Gone Walkabout

My thoughts on travel, life and making a difference where you are.

Gone Walkabout...

This blog was going to be about my travels and impressions I had from them. But my attention span went walkabout. And like with any good walkabout I discovered unexpected things. I invite you to come explore with me...

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

My allowed amount of photo space on this blog has maxed out. Not really sure what happened since it made a fast jump from 45% to 99%... and didn't change a bit when I deleted off a bunch of old posts with photos and videos.

Monday, May 31, 2010

This is something Himself wrote a few years back. I thought it was appropriate for Memorial Day.

Teri

I feel subdued today... No, thoughtful is more accurate.

Visited an old soldier today--one I hadn't seen since 1979; Command Sergeant Major Luis Esparza. Upon finishing up the SF training in '78, he was my first boss--one I didn't like, and one I set out to make his life miserable. I was SUPPOSED to go to a Special Forces A-Team, but for some reason I got stuck in a staff job at Battalion level...not something a certain Tall-Good-Looking-Hard-as-Steel-Green-Beret was SUPPOSED to be doing! Nope! I was meant for the coveted A-Team.

(All this from a 20 year old kid with one year in the service--me--doing this to a soldier who came into the army in 1949, was the highest rank an enlisted soldier could be, and who had two wars under his belt.)

With this attitude, I set out to do all sorts of little things to mess with him--like put my nearly 600 pounds of barbell weights in front of my clothes storage locker so he couldn't inspect it as Sergeant Majors do. My imagination for such juvenile things had no limits. Myself and my partner-in-crime Brad would get hauled into his office while the rest of the Battalion staff grew hushed, and we would then get our butts chewed--again. He would yell & yell, and end up with an animated, "Now, got OUT of here!!".

Such memories...

But as of late different memories come to mind. I thought back that after each well deserved chewing-out, if my retreating form happened to turnaround to glance back at him, I saw a much softened look about him usually accompanied with a slight smile. Then it hit me--tho I suppose he had full rights to throw me out of his unit, he was somewhat fond of me despite all my youthful arrogance, and perhaps he was remembering another young solder of 1949. And then it hit me...

...he cares.

Caring can go both ways. Thru the old SF soldier list I found out that now70 year old CSM Esparza had a quadruple bypass surgery recently. Tho from North Carolina he had surgery in Nashville and recovering at his daughter's home here in Clarksville. Then a strange thing happened--the Lord whispered in my heart, "Go see him". I thought, "ME?!" Why, he won't even remember me. And if he does, unless senility has set in he will remember what a PITA (pain-in-the-...) I was. But the heart-felt thought wouldn't leave. So I did see him today...and when I walked into his daughter's home, I was greeted with a--"Oh, I remember YOU!"

Didn't know whether to continue into that home or turn around and RUN!

After that? I sat down and visited with a whole new perspective. Here was a man a fraction of his former size and presence--brought on by a number of ailments that age and diabetes can cause. But in this old soldiers eyes I still saw something larger. Something from before.

Now that we were both retired, I suppose that make us equals. But ya know, a part of me still felt young--like I didn't know anything compared to this man who has been thru so much. 3 hours later we were still trading pictures and stories and memories and, well...life. And when I left this time? I got a different type of send-off...

..."Come back again sometime..."

That meant the world to me. And I will.

D.

PS--The A-Teams came later--after some much needed lessons and growing up of a certain young soldier. Once again, in God's perfect timing, He put me where I needed to be. Maybe for both of us...

Saturday, May 29, 2010

Thought I’d show off my shelves I made over. These are the ones I did back in March when I was working on my books.

They started off at basic black metal shelves that came from the old hospital here in Clarksville. When the new hospital was built what wasn’t taken over was donated to the Habatate for Humanity ‘ReStore’ shop. (I love that place!)

To start I sprayed two coats of Rustoleum metal primer. I think that first coat looked pretty cool… I’m going to remember that look for a later project!

Then came three coats of Vespar paint from Lowes. I took time to let each cure up before putting on the next coat.

Here’s the finished shelves; in my office and loaded up. I even have space to work with!

Thursday, May 27, 2010

At the bonsai show last month I took a class in the kabudachi (clump) style. We used maples there were from seeds brought back from Japan many years ago and is a somewhat rare variety in the US. I was surprised at how easy with was to do!

We started off by selecting our trees to use, they were seedlings of various sizes. Each person picked whatever ones they wanted - in an odd number. I picked out seven.

This is what we were going to recreate.

Our teacher Bjorn has apprenticed in Japan under a bonsai Master. The guy is GOOD!

This is how the base has connected into one tree over time.

You work the dirt out of the roots of you little trees and cut back any heavy or excess ones. After that, you arrange them roughly in the form you would like. Usually smaller ones circling a larger seedling tho you can have a grouping of similar sized trees also.

Then you wire it together. In a fairly short amount of time it will grow together and become one tree. How cool is that!? Then you have to wire each tree and gently bend it into the shape you desire.

Spring Beauties

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About Me

My life is eclectic. I taught EMT on Ft. C and adult ed classes at a local college. I was in charge of a program on Ft. C that taught ESL and worked with soldiers as they prepared for their INS naturalization exams. I was president of a non-profit that partnered with the State Dept in sending aid to Russia after the collapse of the USSR. Now I am a photographer.
I live in the NOW mode... No Opportunity Wasted! I go at it full throttle. I swam with dolphins in Key Largo, flew on the old Aeroflot and survived!, have hot air ballooned in Kenya, love to ride hunter/jumpers, I take culinary classes, been snorkeling in Aruba, have learned various heritage handicrafts, go on major road trips... the list is long. I sponsor 6 kids overseas.
Himself retired in '99 (after 22 years in SF) and we now travel. I've been to 16 countries & 38 states. In '08 we bought a house on the river. My focus now is on making this house into our home.